Role of Council

District Council of Tumby Bay

Councils have a responsibility to create an environment for their residents that is safe, healthy and contributes to the quality of life of the broader community. This is achieved by:

Developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure that the development of the area is directed to the overall well being of the community and the environment.

Providing for their residents an acceptable level of physical, social, environmental and economic services.

The provision of services is one of the ways in which councils respond to the needs of their communities. Some of the services are statutory and are undertaken on behalf of the State Government and others are discretionary, with Council choosing to provide the service.
There are many demands on the limited resources of councils and the challenge is to achieve a range and level of services that meets community needs at an acceptable cost to the community.

Organisational Structure

The District Council of Tumby Bay is made up of elected members and paid staff who are committed to promoting the well being of the community and maintaining the quality of the district's infrastructure.

About the Council

The Chairperson is our community leader and is the primary representative of our District.
Councillors are elected to represent the interests of the district and are elected by voters of the district. Your elected members represent your interests and are ultimately responsible for the workings of your Council. While elected members receive a small allowance for expenses, they are not paid - they are citizens of our community who have a desire to be involved in making our district better and who want to have an active role in determining the activities of your Council. Elected members are also appointed as Council representatives to a number of local community organisations.
Elected members are assisted by paid staff. Staff are guided by Council policies and work under the direction of the Chief Executive Officer to implement decisions made by Council, give advice in their areas of expertise and perform the daily works necessary to keep Council functioning.

How decisions are made

The Chief Executive Officer, Works Manager and Development Officer submit reports to Council every month. Elected Members consider the information and recommendations contained in these reports, discuss matters and then vote to decide what action Council will take.
Elected members will also raise issues of concern to the community and ask that staff investigate and report on these issues. Some routine decision-making powers have been delegated to staff.

What to do if you have a problem

Local Government is about local people working for local people. If we cannot directly assist you, we might be able to suggest other avenues of assistance.
If you have a problem or a question:

In the first instance, contact the Council Office,by telephone. Council's receptionist will be happy to assist you if you are unsure of which person you need to contact. Most things can be resolved during this initial contact or

If you are not satisfied by this contact, make time to speak or write to the District Clerk. If you still have not received satisfaction, contact your Councillor. Contact telephone numbers are listed on the Elected Members page of this web site.

The Tumby Bay Council is committed to community consultation and values our community's participation in Local Government. Local Government is the tier of government closest to the people and we believe that for Local Government to be truly "local", it must consult with the community which elected it. It must also provide opportunities for people to become involved in their government, either by active participation or by access to information. Members of the community may put their views on particular issues to Council via a number of means including deputations/presentations, petitions and requests to elected members.

Further Information

If you would like further information about the role of local government, contact the Council Office, or you can visit the web site of the Local Government Association: www.lga.sa.gov.au or log onto the Office of Local Government website at http://www.localgovt.sa.gov.au/